Blog
archive links at the bottom of this page.And the AVNEWS you should know follows .....

Thorens Reel to ReelIf
your of my vintage you're going to like this story from CEPro.
And apparently reet-to-reel and cassete recordings are have run
of success. Check it out at this link CEPro.

UHD (4K) TV -- Yeah RightYou
bought a UHD TV. But where is the implied UHD TV programming.
And how about its promise of HDR. Well, this story confronts the
isssue. If you're looking for a four page sentence summary that was -- sort of -- it. Otherwise checkout this story by Jeff Berman at hometheater review.com.

8K TV -- So What?8K is coming, no doubt about it. And UHD (4K) has pushed HD to the back of the retail floor. But the real story is the value offered by the array of TV's with HDR and its huge color space. This story by Jerry Del Colliano at hometheater reviewexplains.

MicroLED TV UpdateMicroLED TV -- (Real LED TV as opposed to fake LCD LED TV) -- should be the next leading TV technology. Each sub-pixel is an individual micro sized LED -- hard to manufacture. It
may initially show up on a retail floor as a hybrid quantum dot/LED
TV; blue micro-LED stimulated quantum dot film. Some have referred
to this 'as color by blue'. So far this product is only available
as Samsung's "146 inch Wall". Samsung has shown a smaller
prototype, but it is still a couple of years away from landing on
retail floors. Check out the updated c|net story here.

Drone IDs Suspicious Bad GuysHow would you define suspicious? A Dodger cap at Giants AT&T (Oracle) ballpark? This story outlines how a Japanese drone company does. Check out this dronelifehere.

OLED vs QLEDYou know the difference -- right? But how do you explain the difference to customers. This CEPro story attempts to show you the way --- this Links to the story. The bottom line is the
"Q" in QLED = quantum dots. Quantum dot film is used to correct
the blue leaning light of a LCD TV's LED back lighting. It's a
better LCD TV. But OLED is still better. For more
details select this Link and scroll down the page to 'Quantum Dot Fix'.

Labor ShortageWhat's
holding up custom AV integrator sales growth? Answer; lack of
qualified help. Do you have friends looking for job
opportunities? If they have the aptitude but need more
specialized training have them look at CEDIA training at this Link. Access CEPro's 'State of the industry special report' via this Link.

Yamaha AI Audio?Yamaha
has offered many forms of DSP for decades. Some versions were fun.
But as with other brands --- consumer oriented DSP has offered
less than real improvement. Therefore, I am approaching this story with
a large slice of skepticism. Yet this latest Yamaha version may
have potential. I look forward to a demonstration. Select
this Link to CEPro for the details.

Bluetooth PrimerBottom
line -- if your going wireless, invest in product that supports high
Bluetooth bit rate codecs such as aptX & LDAC. Check out this
Link to the SoundGuys.com for the details.

HD TV Antenna?The big box and many on-line offerings can be amusing. There is no such thing as an HD TV antenna. This story at TechHive is just a reminder. If you're looking for an off-air "TV" antenna, then return to old stalwarts such as Winegard.com. Their old roof tops are still best. 5G Cellular Network Status3G gave us cell phone service. 4G LTE connected our cell phones to broadband services. The
5G network will add popular media, currently distributed by cable
and satellite providers, to the cellular tower mix. This story TheVerge outlines the current status of the 5G roll out.

IMAX DTS CertificationThen once ubiquitous THX symbol seem to have disappeared from home theater shelves. Will the new IMAX DTS certification and licensing program become their successor?Select this Link to FierceVideo for the story.

Rare Elements FoundHuge
supply of rare elements found in the mud off Japanese island.
This find may impact the supply, access, and the price of
materials needed for electronic manufacturing. Check out this
story from the Consumer Technology Association. UHD from Point A to Point B?UltraHD
HDR 4K/60fps 4:4:4 12bit 18Gbps bandwidth video has arrived.
Delivering it from the source to the display is the issue.
This issue is currently limited to the highest performance video
systems. However as HDR TV prices continue to drop 18Gbps video
will become more mainstream. Therefore many of you will be
confronted with the possibility of a compromised picture or worse a
blank screen. Here are two CE Pro story links from David
Meyer and Jeff Boccaccio that can put you on the path to UltraHD
glory: David Meyer and Jeff Boccaccio

CTA Announces VR AR StandardsThe
Consumer Technology Association announced standard definitions for
Augmented and Virtual Reality technologies. The standards offer a
communication blueprint for manufacturers, retailers, and consumers.
Technical specification standards will follow. This is a key step for these emerging products. Select this link to TVTecnology.com for the details.

Samsung Moving Away From LCD TechnologyThis report outlines how Samsung is implementing a revised mix of quantum dots and OLED's. A
base of blue OLEDs energize red and green quantum dot pixels.
Blue pixels are produced by the 'base' blue OLEDs. This technology improves on LG's
current color filtered white OLED 'stacks'. Select mysmartprice.com for the story.

8K? 16K? 32K?Here's
a story to make your UltraHDTV (4K) day. Insight Media's founder
Chris Chinnock reported "not only was 8K right on track but that its
adoption is essentially inevitable, and they are now thinking about 16K and even 32K." Select this link to Advanced Television.com for the story.

HDMI Heads UPHDMI
over a long distance can drive installers crazy. Here is some
advice and facts about active HDMI cable runs from Jeff Boccaccio. Select this link at CEPro.com for the story.

Raise Your Samsung Hype Antenna Samsung has announced their fall launch of 8K UltraHD TV's featuring next generation HDR with 120Hz
frame rate, and 12 bit color depth. However they are already back
tracking on their claims. The key point is be careful. Current
UltraHD CIE REC 2020 specs have yet to be met.Select this Forbes.com link for the story.

Free UltraHD ProgramingIt's
coming ..... Well, not yet .... But it's coming. Free over
the air High Dynamic Range at 120 frames per second UtlraHD
television is projected to arrive by 2020. Check out the story at C/Net.com

HDR Format War UpdateHigh Dynamic Range is the path to stunning UltraHD video performance. HDR format choices currently include HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, HGL, and Technicolor's SL-HDR1, 2, & 3. However HDR formats must be paired with compatible sources and hardware to deliver on the HDR promise; this includes the TV, BluRay player, streaming service, and don't forget broadcasters. This story from c/net.com outlines the battle for your TV screen.

MQA - It's About TimeThe
human ear is more sensitive to phase (timing) than frequency.
This is the weakest link of the Sony/Phillips CD and
other digital formats. Bob Stuart's Meridian CD players have
included phase band-aids since the 1990's. And now phase accuracy is
a foundation of Mr. Stuart's MQA format which is implemented in the recording studio. This is a big
deal. Select this Link.AudiophileRevicw.com for the story.

How many Shure M91EDs did you mount?This
question is aimed at the gray hairs in my audience. Shure will no
longer manufacturer phono cartridges. Time moves on. Select
this LINK to What HiFi for the story.

Baseball Has Answers" The talent of a team determines what it can do. Expectations determine what it will do."This
story at SmartBrief.com. describes how Bruce Bochy, manager of the San
Francisco Giants, influences people not data. Select this Link to the story. You can find answers to most problems in baseball.Is Your Audio System Set Up Wrong?As in life, audio facts are often less than convenient. This is a link to a story by Steven Stone at Audiophile Review.com about where to place up your gear. Hint, avoid resonant peaks.

Plastic Fiber Optic CableIt's
tougher ... pull it or bend it .... and it's available with detachable
HDMI or Display Port termination in lengths from 1 to 100 meters.
Check out this story at CEPro.

MPEG vs The Streaming WorldThe Motion Picture Experts Group - MPEG - has been the steward of home video compression for decades. MPEG allows you to view most of your home video sources. However MPEG
dominance may be in jeopardy. The 'streaming world of video' is
moving toward alternative compression standards. This story outlines the behind
the scene battle that AV Pros should be aware of. Select this LINK to ibc.org for the story.

On the Lookout for HDMI 2.1HDMI 2.1 48Gbps bandwidth has many AV Pros nervous --- and for good reasons. Fortunately Jeff Boccaccio is a 'go to' source for accurate HDMI news. Select this CEPro LINK. Mr. Boccaccio lays out key issues and a probable time line for the HDMI 2.1 roll out. New Speaker Technology?Since the first decades of the 20th century, there has not been a truly new speaker technology.
Although this statment contradicts the claims by manufacturers and
those who repeat their hype -- it's true. However that may
change. Check out this
story at New Atlas.com.
A new technology uses thermo acoustics via the use of graphene as
opposed to a moving mechanical diaphragm. Wait --- I forgot about
plasmatronics. Well at least this eliminates the helium
tanks. ATSC 3.0 AudioVideo
capability, naturally, has been the focus of the new ATSC 3.0 over the
air broadcast standard. But how about the audio? This story at
HomeTheaterReview.com outlines the prospect of its multi-channel audio
future. Will it be Dolby AC4 or MPEG-H? Select this LINK for the story.

Spiky Glass Cones This
is a cool story from NewAtlas.com. Etching nanoscale cones into
glass of eye glasses, smart phones, and solar panels reduces
glare and produces more power. Select this LINK to the story.

DTS Virtual: XDTS Virtual:X claims it can deliver surround sound, even the above effects, with two speakers. However the real news in this CEPro
story is fewer than 30% of consumers with Dolby Atmos and DTS-X
receivers have connected any height speakers. Even more
surprising fewer than 48% have connected any rear speakers. If
true, should consumers re-allocate their dollars into
purchasing higher power stereo receivers with two larger speakers.
Big speakers and more power is more fun than a bunch of small
in-ceiling speakers.

FCC Authorizes ATSC 3.0ATSC 3.0, the new over-the-air broadcast television standard, has been adopted by the FCC. ATSC
3.0 will deliver UltraHD High Dynamic Range video via roof-top TV
antennas. However, it is not backward compatible with current
digital tuners. Check out this story at TVTechnology.com and get prepared to answer consumer questions.

Brick-n-Mortar Retail RulesOnline
sales and the demise of large retailers may dominate the headlines.
But in truth physical brick-n-mortar still dominates retail
sales. I found this Residential Systems story via Media Delivery Strategies' head honcho Glen O'Brien at LinkedIn.

Flying BurritosCan this be heaven? Just add a Dos Equis XX, and cue up Chris Hillman, Graham Parsons and company. Select this Link now.

Protect Your Business from FraudMy
daughter's employer's payroll account was recently hacked. Fraud is
not a new subject. It has always haunted our hallways and byways.
This Forbes.com story offers some guidelines to protect your business. It's The Demo DummyCustomers will buy exciting customized musical and cinema experiences. So stop talking tech and just start the movie -- play the music. This CEPro interview retells an old story.

Dynamic Glass"Light,
Aziz light" .... Light is the prime element of home theater video.
Short of eliminating windows --- window covering is still a
primary method of controlling competing sources of light.
Dynamic glass is a cool alternative. This LINK to ElectronicHouse.com tells the story.

Computer Audio for BeginnersMichael Lavorgna at AudioStream.com offers help for the computer audio novice with this series of articles: Computer audio 101, Download sites, Files & formats, Files sizes & storage, Fixing your metadata, NAS. Select this LINK. UltraHD Mess60Hz 18Gbps HDR UltraHD video sources with expanded deep color are arriving. But many so-called UltraHD '4K' products (that consumers have handsomely paid for) will not reproduce it.
And here's another wrinkle. DPL Labs discovered that any
component in the system, even an UHD HDR disc, may reduce 18Gbps video
to 8.91Gbps. Select this LINKto this DLP Labs Jeff Boccaccio story at CEPro. And get ready for some angry phone calls. LCD resolution tripled?

Real 2020 RedThe
C.I.E. 2020 color specification is the holy grail of video color.
This outlines a General Electric LED technology that produces
C.I.E. 2020 red. This may open the door to C.I.E. 2020 red, green,
and blue displays. This story at AVSforum also offers a great description of the light emitting diode.

This QLED is IOLEDDo
not confuse this QLED with Samsung's faux QLED. This is a
different "Q" than the "Q" of quantum dot film. This "Q" is an
"Electroluminescent Inorganic
LED" display. It's only a prototype. But this technology is
advancing at a fast pace. Check out the full story at this link
to AVSforum.

Mono or Stereo
This is a link to a RareRecords.net
Blog
by Charlie Essmeier. Charlie reviews and offers classic
recordings
released in mono and stereo. This is a must read for the
record
collector. The
Loudspeaker Design Cookbook
Much
as the author of this story (Brent Butterworth), it has been three
decades since I first read Vance Dickanson's "The Loudspeaker Design
Cookbook". If you're looking for a reference that sums up
speaker
design choices; then pick up a copy or at least read Mr. Butterworth's
outline of the 'Cookbook' at this link to hometheater
review.com. Musical
Origami
This
is a must read by Robert Harley of TheAbsoluteSound about MQA " ..... a
revolution that comes once in a lifetime". This is a digital
audio revolution. He stated that, “By comparison ...
conventional
PCM is a crude and inefficient method of encoding audio.”
Select
this LINK
Now!

Digital
& Noise
This is a link to an AudioStream.com
report by Michael Lavorgna. It is not an easy read for the
novice. But it is important to anyone interested in better sound.
It deals with EMI and RF noise 'produced' or 'reproduced' by digital cables
and
digital devices. Mr. Lavorgna stated, "The simple takeaway
I'd
like to highlight is the fact that digital cables are not immune to
noise and this noise can directly impact the quality of an analog
signal in an attached analog device." Remove or reduce the
noise
and your system will sound better.

Cloak
the Tech
Don't be the guy who descends into buzzword laden monologues that cause
customers to walk.Ultra-HD
Risky Crossroad HDTV to Ultra-HD TV is at a risky unsettled crossroad. Should you cross
now or later?